Pandemic has been a test on every level

Columnist Jazmine Runyon. Photo courtesy Runyon

2020 has not been the way you want to start a new decade, but 2020 has helped me gain more knowledge and given me more time to grow within myself.

The world changed before you knew it, from going to work on an everyday schedule to having to stay at home. The world is changing right before our eyes.

As recently as mid March, going to a grocery store was an every day activity; now we have to wear a mask and stay six feet apart from each other. This is  our new norm.

During a global health crisis like this many of us had no idea what we would be able to do other than stay locked in our homes in self-isolation. For more than four months since the COVID pandemic began surging through the United States, all of us have had to take a step back and transition into working from home. This has meant spending more time with our lovedones.

Many people went into the quarantine stubbornly. They didn’t want to feel bored or feel like they had to spend time with their loved ones. No one wanted their life to change, and it took only a short time for the whole world to change.

The COVID pandemic gave a lot of people more time to work on themselves. They discovered new talents, and they found new ideas to better their business.

Some have found new avenues to make more money so when  they are able to re-open their shops, they will have new ways to make more money for their business.

The pandemic has really tested me emotionally, mentally and physically. It has helped me get through these past couple of months, and it made my mindset stronger than ever.

Despite what is going on now in society, I still found ways to grow within myself.

Some may say these past four months of quarantine have been nothing but trauma for them, but the pandemic has taught me so many things to better myself as an individual.

When times get rough, never give up. Keep pushing yourself. Sometimes I have felt like I was going through this alone. I had to realize that I had a mild setback that is setting the stage for a major comeback.

Even in the middle of a pandemic, growth is still obtainable.

The coronavirus may have taken us all out physically, but it didn’t stop me from doing everything that I wanted to do this year.